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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. key — for a lock
  3. cell — a phone
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. key — in music
  6. cue — a signal
  7. craft — boats
  8. race — the arms race
  9. cue — a hint
  10. roll — a cake
  11. key — the most important part
  12. bound — tied together
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. craft — a skill
  16. bound — certain
  17. race — humankind
  18. kid — child
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. bound — obliged
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. race — a contest
  23. roll — a list
  24. kid — to tease

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com